Songs
by Elephantian
Summary: We all know the names of the songs in RENT, but what if you changed the scene? It makes more sense if you read it, trust me!
1. Seasons of Love

**Ever wonder what the songs COULD be like. Well, this is my take (of just the titles at least). Yeah, this is supposed to be kinda humorous and I hope you like it! I'll try and get all the songs in. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own RENT.**

**Oh, and the song order will be following that in the movie. Just thought you'd like to know. And, as of now, there really is no essential plot line. This is all for kicks. And without further ado…**

**Seasons of Love**

Maureen sat alone in a bar, her eyes puffy and red with tears. She silently gulped down a mug of beer and quickly ordered a new one. The bartender looked hesitantly at the drunk beauty before sliding her a new glass filled to the brim with the yellowish liquid.

As Maureen continued to chug down the alcohol, she thought about Mark. Who'd have thought breaking up with a scrawny, geeky little runt like Mark would be so difficult? Maureen certainly hadn't thought so. It was just Mark- a guy friend in between the good ones. Yet, here she was, bawling her eyes out over _Mark_.

_You know,_ Maureen thought to herself, her thoughts slurred from the massive amount of alcohol she'd consumed, _Love is like the four seasons._

Maureen nodded her head as if agreeing with herself. "Yeah," she muttered aloud, "The four seasons. You start off with spring. It's all cool and nice and you barely know it's there. Spring is all shy, like a schoolgirl with a crush."

"What's that?" the bartender asked.

"Gimme another beer," Maureen slurred, slurping down the rest of the one in front of her before continuing, "Then there's summer. Hot, steaming summer. That's when your love is at its best. The sex is _great_ during the summer. Oh yeah. Every night almost. Nice and steaming and full of passion."

"This is the last one," the bartender mumbled, giving Maureen the beer, "And you better be able to pay!"

"'Kay," Maureen said cheerfully, sliding the necessary amount of money across the bar, "Here goes grumpy pants. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, fall! Fall is pretty bad. That's when you start losing interest in your loved one. Yeah, the sex is still there, but it's worthless. It's around fall you start cheating on 'em. And then there's winter. That's when you break up and you're both left in the cold. Gotta hate winter. And now I'm stuck in the middle of it. At least spring is on the horizon. I'm gonna go find Joanne."

With that, Maureen gulped down the rest of her beer.

"Y'know," Maureen grumbled to herself slyly as she stumbled down the street toward Joanne's apartment, "It's no wonder summer has always been my favorite season."


	2. Rent

**This one isn't as humorous, but it took me a while to figure out what to write for this one. I already have about three other songs written, so that's good. June 16 is the last day of school, so I'll be updating every one of my stories then. Enjoy! **

**Rent**

Joanne rubbed her temples, her eyes closed in deep concentration, pepping herself for her newest case. It wasn't going to be tough. She was prosecuting some guy named Phil somethingoranother for not paying rent that month…year…past five years…on his apartment. Joanne smiled to herself. No, this wouldn't be too hard indeed.

However, something inside of her was picking at her conscience. Maybe it was because before she'd become a lawyer she hadn't paid rent for months at a time either. She knew how it felt to not be able to pay. What it was like to barely scrape by. To not know about the seemingly simple feeling of fullness.

_No,_ Joanne thought to herself firmly, _Don't get involved. Don't get personal. That's a one-way road to failure. This is strictly business. You're never even going to see this guy again!_

Yet, as she looked at her client (the landlord that hadn't gotten the rent) she was reminded of Benny, the landlord of Mark and Roger's building. Everyone hated him because of his constant turning off the power and whatnot.

"Actually," Joanne whispered to herself, "This might be a good thing. Now I can see both ends of the coin- the landlord and the person living in the building."

Joanne nodded. Yes, this was a good thing indeed.

The trial passed by in a blur, like usual. Her client, having won, paid her and walked off. Joanne was sure she'd never see him again. That's when she saw Phil, being hauled off the jail to work off the debt of rent. It made her heart break. This guy was pretty young. She watched a woman standing by, tears streaming down her cheeks. A sparkling ring was on her finger.

"Who might you be?" Joanne asked the woman curiously.

"Phil's fiancée. But now he's going to jail and we can't pay bail and we won't get married! We both have AIDS and don't have that much longer." The lady answered, a new wave of tears passing over her.

Joanne was reminded of the six other bohemians. Her stomach lurched. Something had to be done. Confidently she walked over the police officer.

"Excuse me," Joanne said, "But how much is this man's bail?"

The officer named a price and Joanne took the money she'd just been paid with and handed it to him.

"What's this?" the officer asked.

"This man's bail. Let him go." Joanne answered.

The officer grunted and undid Phil's handcuffs. He immediately ran over to his fiancée and gave her a hug.

Joanne disappeared into the crowd, the warmth of doing the right thing making her forget about the hunger pains in her stomach.


	3. You'll See

**I wrote this the same day I wrote the 'Rent' chapter, so it isn't terribly funny. I would've posted this earlier, but I wasn't sure what to write for the next song (One Song Glory) and I knew I'd be posting today, so I just left it as is. Enjoy! You'll See**

"Where are we going?" Benny asked. It his birthday, and Alison was taking him somewhere to celebrate.

"You'll see." She answered slyly, giggling and reminding Benny just how much he loved her and her carefree spirit. Actually, Alison reminded him of his childhood friend, Mimi Marquez. They'd known each other since the diaper days and had been friends through all the years. But recently she'd gotten into drugs and didn't need Benny anymore. He wished that he could see his old friend again, but Alison usually didn't let him go into that area of New York City.

Benny tried his luck again. "Alison, where are you taking me? I don't like surprises."

Benny heard his wife sigh lightheartedly. "Oh Benny, I know you like surprises as much as I do! And you'll see in a little bit! Stop being so impatient."

Benny rolled his eyes and continued staring at the navy blue bandanna tied around his head. As his beloved wife dragged him to who-knows-where, Benny let his mind wander back to the days in the loft with Roger, Mark, Collins and Maureen. He missed them a lot.

"Why can't I be with Alison and have them not hate me?" Benny mumbled to himself.

"What was that Benny-boo?" Alison asked, concern in her voice.

"Oh nothing," Benny answered, "I was just wondering where you were taking me."

"You'll see you impatient little kid!" Alison answered.

Benny continued thinking about his 'ex'-friends. He and Roger were never really close, so Benny didn't miss the rocker that much. Collins had quickly become a good friend. They'd spent a lot of time together. He'd gotten Collins his job as a professor and Collins had introduced Benny to his sister's best friend- Alison Grey. And, of course, Collins was about the only bohemian who didn't ridicule him about it.

And then there was Mark. Sweet, too-mature-for-his-age Mark. Mark was like the little brother Benny had (instead of his three older sisters that he never kept in contact with). Quite the contrary, Mark was also like the older brother Benny never had. They hadn't been friends, but they did share some kind of brotherly love.

"We're here!" Alison sung happily, removing the blindfold.

Benny stood in the middle of the Life Café, shocked as Mark and Collins yelled 'happy birthday Benny!' as loud as they could.

"Happy birthday Benny-boo," Alison whispered in his ear, giving him a kiss.


	4. One Song Glory

**Okay, so it's not funny. I'm sorry. But I promise the next one will be funny! I've already kinda thought of it! Yeah, and sorry for the long wait. Oh, and I don't own RENT or Gone with the Wind (which is quoted). Enjoy! **

**One Song Glory**

Mimi loved to dance. It didn't matter what kind of music was playing, she'd dance to it no matter what. Heck, she'd even danced to the classical music her dad listened to on the radio.

And not only did Mimi like to dance, she was a good dancer. True, she had natural talent, but she also went to dance class every day from four thirty to seven. Jazz, ballet, tap, she liked them all.

Mimi had her parent's approval, the skill and the devotion. All she needed was a big break. And that big break came when she was fifteen.

"Hm, Miss Teen America," Mimi mumbled, reading off of a pamphlet that had arrived in the mail, "Show off your good looks, knowledge and talent."

"Mimi-chica," Mrs. Marquez said, "You're the prettiest girl in the whole Marquez family, and we basically _invented_ the good-looks gene. And you're smart- all A's may I remind you. And you can dance Mimi."

"It's a few towns over Mama," Mimi said, "Will you take me?"

Mrs. Marquez smiled. "Anything for my Mimi-chica."

Well, Mimi won that contest. She was just as pretty as the other contestants. And she was just as smart too. It was her dancing that gave her the win.

For months she was the most popular girl at school. Everyone knew her face. Everyone knew her name. Everyone knew who she was. And the song she danced to was overplayed on the radio. Whenever it was played, they mentioned her name

"And this song goes out Miss Teen America- Mimi Marquez! Keep on dancin'!"

And that's when disaster struck.

Mimi was trying out for a musical- same song, different routine.

"Hey Miss Marquez," the man in charge said when she was finished.

"Yes?"

"Learn how to dance,"

"But…I was Miss Teen America! I won because of my dancing!"

The man looked her straight in the eye. "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."

That night Mimi had her first hit and lowered her dreams. Working at the Cat Scratch Club was good enough…wasn't it?


	5. Light My Candle

**As I promised, this is a happier chapter. In fact, I think it's pretty funny. Enjoy! **

**Light my Candle**

April sighed. Her friend had gotten her a vanilla-scented candle for her birthday. She'd been saving it for a rainy day and now, three months later, that rainy day was here. But, unfortunately, her parents hid the matches from her.

"It's not _my_ fault I set the dog on fire," April mused, searching through the various kitchen drawers and cabinets, "He just _happened_ to get in the way of my magnifying glass and pile of dry leaves. Anyway, I'm sure Dingo always wanted to be cremated."

April heard a laugh from the doorway. "And I'm sure the two cats, one parrot and five gerbils also wanted to be cremated."

April rolled her eyes. "Oh shut it Jeff," she grumbled to her older brother, "Hey, do you think you could light my candle? Mom and Dad _still_ hide the matches."

Jeff grinned. "Would, but can't." He said.

"Why not?"

"Mom and Dad don't hide the matches April," he said, "They threw them all out. There isn't a single match, lighter or magnifying glass in this entire house!"

April groaned. "But how am I supposed to light the candle I got for my birthday?"

Jeff shrugged. "I dunno, try the neighbors."

April frowned. "No way!" she said, "It's raining cat and dogs outside!"

"Well it shouldn't be a problem for you," Jeff teased, "Just cremate all the little kitties and puppies. That'll make everything better."

"Oh fuck off Jeff," April mumbled, giving her brother the finger and walking outside into the rain.

She skipped over to the neighbor's house- the Anderson's- and knocked on the door.

"Coming!" April heard Mrs. Anderson say.

The door flew open and there stood Mrs. Anderson with her snow-white, mile-high hair and large glasses.

"Hi Mrs. Anderson," April said kindly.

"April!" Mrs. Anderson screeched, pinching each of the girl's cheeks, "Look at how big you are! Still taking ballet lessons April? Are you still playing the violin?"

April forced a smile. "No Mrs. Anderson," she said, "The ballet studio closed down and my violin is now burnt to a crisp."

"Oh that's terrible!" Mrs. Anderson said, ushering April into her house, "Simply awful. Would you like some cookies April? Maybe some hot chocolate?"

"No thank you," April said, "I was wondering if you had some matches I could borrow. I got this candle for my birthday and we don't seem to have any matches in the house and I really want to light my candle."

Mrs. Anderson frowned. "I do remember your father telling me I wasn't allowed to give you matches or lighters or magnifying glasses April."

April fought the instinct to frown and force a smile. "Oh, you know my dad," she said, "He's always joking around. He didn't really mean it."

Mrs. Anderson gave her a weary look before saying, "If you say so."

"Which I do! Anyway, the power went out and the flashlights ran out of battery, so we need to light lots and lots of candles!"

So Mrs. Anderson gave April boxes and boxes of matches.

Mr. Ericsson got an interesting phone call the afternoon.

"Mr. Ericsson," someone said over the phone, "We're sorry to tell you that your house burnt down to the ground not too long ago. Two children were found inside and rushed to the hospital."

"Are they okay?" Mr. Ericsson asked nervously.

"Yes, they're both fine. Just a bit rattled."

"Good, because now I won't feel as guilty punishing April. That girl won't be able to sit down for a month!"

"Oh Daddy I was just joking!" the voice said and Mr. Ericsson immediately recognized it as his daughter, April, "The house didn't burn down."

"That's good to hear," Mr. Ericsson said.

"I just wanted to tell you something BIG burned down so you wouldn't be as angry when you saw what really burnt dow- I mean…"

"APRIL!"


	6. Today for You

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in forever! Well, at least it's not like there's a plot to follow- it's just a series of oneshots. So, enjoy! **

**Today for You**

"Mark, where's my lemonade?" Cindy called from the backyard.

A ten-year-old Mark quickly yelled out, "It's coming Cindy!"

Hurriedly pouring some of the yellow liquid into a cup and then putting one of the little umbrellas in it, he rushed outside to give it to his fourteen-year-old-sister.

"Finally," she muttered, taking the lemonade from her brother.

"Cindy," he said, "When do we get to play what I want to play?"

"Remember that saying I told you?" Cindy asked, rolling down her sunglasses to the end of her nose so she could look eye-to-eye with her brother.

"Today for you, tomorrow for me," she said, "I made it up myself. And since you're only seven or something like that and wouldn't understand it, here's what it means- today we do stuff for me, since I'm the 'you', and tomorrow we'll do what _you_ want to do. Okay?"

Mark nodded and disappeared back into the house. "That's what she said yesterday," he mumbled when his sister was out of earshot, "She says the same thing every day, but it's never my turn to be the 'you'. It's always Cindy. Well, no more of that. I'm going to do what _I_ want to do."

With that Mark headed up to his room and dug out a squirt gun and various water balloons he'd been saving for the past three years. Now was the perfect occasion.

He quickly filled up the balloons with cold water and was about to do the same with the water gun when Cindy called out, "Mark, I need more lemonade!"

That gave Mark an idea. "Hold on Cindy!" he yelled back, "I have to make a new batch- we ran out!"

True to his word, Mark made another pitcher of lemonade and poured it all into the squirt gun.

A maniacal glint in his eyes, Mark made his way into the backyard. "It's a bit hot," he mumbled, "Why don't you cool down?"

With that he threw the various water balloons at Cindy, who squealed as they exploded against her skin.

"Actually, that felt pretty good," she said finally, not wanted to give her brother the satisfaction of bugging her, "I need to cool off, and I _am_ wearing my bathing suit. So Mark, where's my lemonade?"

"RIGHT HERE!" he yelled, squirting her down with the gun and then dashing into the house and locking the door.

"Mark, let me in!" Cindy demanded.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Ow!"

"Ow?"

"A bee stung me!" Cindy said, "They must be attracted to the lemonade. Mark, let me in!"

"I can't let you in," Mark said, "The bees will get in the house."

And with that, Mark went up to his room, smiling triumphantly as Cindy's screams filled the air.


End file.
